"We are here to win," the Spanish coach told a packed press room. "This club has a strong winning mentality. We will work together and aim to win from day one. The project is to repeat the success of last year. Our work? Eighty percent of our work will be with the ball. We will do tests to assess all the players, and all the other things you know about. We will do the same things that are done in Spain and England."

The fans want to know the new Inter. How will Benitez' Inter be?
"We need a strong mentality. The team, club and fans. All together. Like at Liverpool. All together. We are a big team and everyone will want to win against us. This team has played with 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2, our system of play will depend on the players. We can play with lots of possession because it's a strong team, but if we want to we can play in another way. The mentality is important."

Will you bring some of Spain's style of play to Inter?
"I spent many years as coach of the Real youth academy. My first job as coach was when Del Bosque was coordinator of their academy. I worked with him for many years. I also worked with him as assistant to the first team for four months. I know him well. Our play? It always depends on the players you have. The style of the Spain national team is based on ball possession and quality players and it will be good if we can imitate them. Italian football is tactically good, intelligent football and if we can combine the two styles, I think the team will be stronger."

Mourinho improved the mentality at Inter. How will you work to keep the same mentality? 
"I have spoken with two or three people at the club. They all have the same strong mentality: to want to win, do things in the best way possible. The president wants to keep winning and this is good for me because I want to win too. Marco Branca has the same idea. I have spoken with Zanetti, Eto'o, Cambiasso, Sneijder, Milito and many others, and they all want to win too. We have to keep the same mentality."

With just over a month to go until the Super Cup, how hard will it be to prepare the team? 
"A lot of players will arrive at a later stage. Some are here today, some will come in the coming days and those at the World Cup will have at least three weeks' holiday. We have to wait for them and work with the players we have. If we have to look for new players, this is the responsibility of the president and Branca. We will work on the pitch."

Is Mario Balotelli untransferable for you? Have you already spoken to him?
"I want to know all my players personally. He is an important player and I want to talk to him and get to know him. After that, we will see. Every player is important for me. They are quality players. I have to see how they work, see their mentality and talk to them."

You will have a weaker squad if players like Maicon leave. Will it be harder to win everything?
"We have more players than last year because some who were on loan have returned. They have to show their level. We also have the Primavera players who have to show their level. It's never easy in a World Cup year - the start is slow. I'm happy to be here because working with all these quality players is a great opportunity for me."

Have you asked for any players? Is Sneijder already the Ballon d'Or winner?
"I'm happy for Spain because it was important for Spain. I'm sorry for Sneijder. He was confident of winning the World Cup. He showed all his quality on the pitch last season. In England I was a manager. Here I am a coach. We all have our opinions, but the team has a sporting director and a president. Transfers are their responsibility. I have to work on the pitch."

Samuel Eto'o played all over the pitch last season, even in defence. Will it be the same this year?
"I spoke to him before his holiday. I knew Samuel when he was at the Real academy. About ten years ago. I have a good relationship with him. He is a world-class striker who did an important job for the team last year. I'm confident in his quality and I have to talk to him."

You know Spanish and English football perfectly. How difficult is it to build an academy like at Barcelona or Real Madrid?
"It's always the same, in Spain, England and here. We all want young players to make it into the first team and the national team. Inter's academy is a strong academy. At Liverpool we had two or three youth players on our list. So here we have to work with the young players. Inter's academy has worked well. As for the rest of Italy, it's hard to say because I don't know it well. It's not easy to do everything in one day. We all want young players in the first team, but it takes time."

Did you ever think of the risks of coaching a team that has won everything?
"You need a good team to win. I built a winning team at Liverpool and we won a lot. But a change was needed. This is an opportunity that every coach wanted. We have the possibility to play the Super Cup and then the European Super Cup and I'm happy to be here for these reasons."

Where and with who did you watch Spain in the World Cup final last night? Did you celebrate?
"I watched Spain in a hotel with my staff. I had to write something for a Spanish paper so I spent the evening calmly in my hotel. Spain had a good World Cup and deserved to win."

At Liverpool you were a manager. Here you are a coach. What's the difference?
"A manager has responsibility for everything. A coach has more responsibility on the pitch."

You said that you prefer to talk about players who are here, but what about Mascherano? Can he and Cambiasso play together?
"I'll talk about Cambiasso because he's here. He's a very intelligent player who can play with Stankovic, Thiago Motta, Zanetti. He can play with anyone."

Is coming to Inter the high point of your career? Mourinho had problems with Italian football. What do you think about this?
"This is a challenge because the team won the Champions League, Italian championship and Italian Cup last year. So it's a challenge for me. I understand that talking about Mourinho and last year is important for you and the fans, but I don't want to make any kind of comparison. This year is different from the past. I want to do things well and we will see what happens."

You said that pre-season preparations are slow in a World Cup year. What does this team need to be even stronger?
"It depends on the transfer market. If some players leave, I will need others. But at the moment all the players are here. If no one leaves, we will see. I will have to talk to my staff and decide."

Which players impressed you most at the World Cup?
"It's easy for me. Spain did very well. Iniesta had a very good World Cup. Xavi as well. David Villa also. These three players did very, very well."

You said that you're a coach, not a manager. If offers come in for Maicon and Balotelli, is it fine for you if they go? Will managing Balotelli be a challenge for you after the problems he had with Mourinho last year?
"First I have to get to know the players. Then we will talk about this. Balotelli is a quality player who wants to play because he wants to win, and this is always important. I will work on the pitch with them. We might change a few things here at the training centre. We want to work in the 'cage', in the gym, do work with the injured players. We will change a bit of everything, and then I hope we go on the pitch and score lots of goals. And we need to change something here in the press room... It's like a sauna. We need to install air conditioning..."

To know the best players to buy for next season do we have to ask the octopus?
"Yes, but the Galician octopus. My wife cooks the best Galician-style octopus. On holiday in Sardinia I spoke with the chef in the restaurant and he cooked this speciality of Galicia."

You spoke Italian before you came here. What do you find fascinating about Italy? Who are your biggest rivals? Milan, Juve or Roma?
"They are all very strong teams. I speak a bit of Italian because in the past I have played at the Viareggio tournament with the Real youth team. Youth football here is very important with these tournaments. So I speak a bit of Italian, and then in the Champions League I spoke a bit. Italy is similar to Spain in terms of the people, the mentality. I had my first problem with my car today because the steering wheel is on the other side. I was used to driving on the other side in England."

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